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Why we need Comprehensive Immigration Reform

By Lisa Martin Pray

Fort Morgan Times

Posted:
09/25/2013 10:41:04 AM MDT

Lisa Martin Pray

For the most part I have used this column to inform immigrants and U.S. Citizens about parts of our Immigration system. Today I want to focus on the bigger picture: why we need comprehensive immigration reform.

In June, the U.S. Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 744, a truly "comprehensive" reform to the United States immigration system. The bill covers everything from securing our borders to eventual citizenship for currently undocumented "alien" residents. It has wonderful improvements to meet agricultural labor needs, and provisions for attracting the world's best and brightest in science and technology. It adds new crimes (such a DUI) which make even legal residents deportable, while making it easier to prove hardship to U.S. citizens who are applying for waivers for their relatives.

I don't know of anyone who likes every provision of SB 744. It is designed that way. The portions of the bill that provide for enormous expenditures on border security make pro-immigrant supporters shudder. The earned citizenship provision has anti-immigrant proponents screaming "NO AMENESTY!" Unfortunately, in politics these days any compromise has to include incentives for the extremists not just a middle of the road approach. This bill is a balanced compromise of these extremely diverse positions on immigration.

The U.S. House of Representatives is not looking at this big picture. They aren't even considering voting on the Senate bill, but are pushing forward bills which cover bits and pieces of immigration changes (I wouldn't call most of these "reform"). This piecemeal approach is what has made this system the mess it is. Our Representatives need to stop bowing to special interests and think about what is best for our Country.

Immigration is a major factor in our economic system. If the United States is to prosper the immigration system has to attract for both low skilled workers to do the jobs that Americans quite frankly won't do; as well as the best and brightest innovators.

One major cause of illegal immigration is the difficulty in trying to come to the U.S. legally. People who are willing to work hard at agricultural and other "unskilled" jobs to make a better life for their families, cannot get visas to work here. We aren't going to stop illegal immigration by simply "securing the border". If there are still jobs that need to be filled, we have to provide employers and laborers a legal way to fill them. If we don't, we will continue to attract undocumented workers.

Comprehensive immigration reform is what our Country needs. Even if SB 744 isn't perfect, it is better than creating more chaos. To express your opinion on comprehensive immigration reform, please contact your U.S. Representative, Corey Gardner at (970) 351-6007 or through his website at https://gardner.house.gov/contact-me.